You're Invited
by starry-eyes184
Summary: Things after college are going great for Rory, and she's just become engaged to Colin. But when Logan starts popping up all over, will Rory's engagement stick together, or fall apart? RG:LH Discontinued.
1. A Ring, a Ding, and a Thump

**A/N:**Welcome to the openingof myvery first GG fic! I've been a GG fan for a year or two, and this is my first shot at an actual fiction. So, seeing as I'm a bit new to this, and, in my opinion, not too witty, I'll ask you guys to go a bit easy on me, and only mention my OOC-ness if it gets _way_ outta hand. I don't take flames well, but lurrrrve constructive criticism. Now, just a warning, there is some Rory/Colin, but it's not going to last forever. This story will be Rory/Logan, because I've got a soft spot for guys like that ;).

Oh, and it's like two years after Rory graduated from Yale, so that would be four years ahead of where the show is at now.

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**You're Invited**

**Chapter One: A Ring, a Ding, and a Thump**

As she stepped into the expensive car, Rory Gilmore's head was in a daze. At the start, the dinner had been nothing more and nothing less then a casual dinner with some old friends from Yale- and Lane of course. She'd dressed for the occasion, a stylish black dress with a v-neck that hugged her figure nicely. By no means had she expected what would come from that casual get-together.

888888888888888888888888888 _A few hours ago…_ 888888888888888888888888

"I'm telling you, that's what he said to me!" Lane chattered on perkily. The entire table- loudly- offered comments and peals of laughter at the end of the Asian girl's anecdote.

The truth was the vast amounts of wine served hung over the heads of the five patrons, giving them all a warm hazy bubble in their stomachs and a relaxed mind. All but one of them was feeling more than a little playful. That last one being a strict blond arguing into her cell phone with her life-coach.

"I realize that we agreed on three hours of relaxation time, Terrence, but how can I possibly relax when the little trollop at the table behind us is cracking up like a brainless cow, spewing saliva all over my new bag?!" Paris shrieked.

Rory laughed out loud at the sight. If anything, when intoxicated it seemed Paris Gellar just got more and more uptight and flustered. To the right of Paris seated at the round table was an Australian man of twenty six, waving his glass of wine around and chatting up the waitress (A redhead, fortunately enough for Finn), making movements that suggested he was asking for her number. He grinned like a madman when she finally handed it over and walked away, swishing her hips for his sake.

"Ah, the ole boy's still got it!" He announced to the table, enjoying his view.

"Finn, you're twenty-six, not sixty-five. Brag when you can get a number off a girl like her in a few years." Rory said smirking. It seemed these people would never change. But, she felt she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Some of us are trying to have an actual conversation here," Paris barked, "No; I wasn't talking to you, Terrence." The entire table ignored her, continuing with the dinner-talk. Rory smiled and laughed and talked the evening away, jauntily keeping up the banter at the table as the meal progressed.

"So, Colin, have you been partying up the remaining days of your youth? Spending the days and nights with various specimens of young women? By thirty we'll all be expected to get married, and of course that'll mean no more fun." Finn questioned, a certain glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Finn, how many times have you asked me that question in the past two and a half years that I've been dating Rory?" Colin asked, forking some of his dessert and stuffing it into his mouth.

Finn furrowed his brow and seemed to seriously consider it before replying. "To be honest, I don't know, but I'd say around…seven hundred and fifty nine times, not counting the three times I've asked today."

"More like seven thousand…" Rory added. Finn stuck out his tongue at the remark. "Oh, that was very mature."

"It wasn't meant to be!" Finn argued. "Besides, I am _so_ mature. I even wear underwear. Now _that's _grown-up!"

"Finn, I'm going to ignore how enormously revolting and disturbing that bit of information was, and let you in on a little known fact: the majority of us have been wearing underwear since we were toddlers." Rory muttered. Lane made a face, sticking a finger in her mouth and producing a gagging sound.

Finn began to retort, but was interrupted by Colin.

"And how many times have I said 'yes'?" He asked, breaking into the conversation with an amused grin on his face. Finn continued on as if he and Rory hadn't had the rapid-fire exchange that lead him off track in the first place.

"Well….I'll have to do the math…six, carry one, divide by the four…None." Finn said finally, after ticking off numbers on his fingers and looking up at the ceiling. Rory yawned; the night was starting to get to her. She and the rest of the table were just about ready to leave, but Paris had been chatting- or rather quarrelling- on the phone for so long she'd eaten none but five bites of her dinner, which was now cold and painfully slowly disappearing from the plate. Besides, the conversation was slightly amusing.

"So that would make my answer this time…." Colin trailed off, glancing at an oblivious Finn, who was wearing a blank look on his face. "No, Finn, the answer is no." Colin said rolling his eyes.

"You know, Finn," Colin said, taking another sip of his wine before continuing. "Now you mention it, none of us are getting any younger and- Oh, I'm finished with that plate, you can take it and the lovely lady to my left will have a coffee-"

By now, the most of the table had begun to listen with vague curiosity. Paris had even asked Terrence to hold, and Lane had stopped drumming against the table with her utensils (much to the glee of the other diners at the restaurant) to watch the scene unfolding.

"You were saying…" Rory leisurely reminded him. Inside she was jumping with eagerness to see where it was going. Maybe he'd finally agree coming to Stars Hallow to have a movie night (It seemed Colin was against any film not shown in a cinema or expensive home-theater room, much to her chagrin and exasperation).

"What? Oh, right. I was saying, so seeing as we aren't getting any younger, I wanted to ask you something…" He drawled. Rory raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Go ahead."

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore the Third, will you marry me?" The words left the entire table stunned. Of course, it was only for a short minute, as a slow smile erupted on Rory's face. They had played this game and enacted this joke many times. Rory had even done it once with a different partner. 'Let's not open that can of worms.' She thought to herself with a shudder.

She placed a hand to her forehead and looked at the ceiling dramatically. "Why, Mr. Cartwright, I've no idea what to say!" Rory said in a southern drawl that would have made her mother proud. "If only I wasn't so devoted to servicing mah dear southern state durin' this war we're havin'" Rory finished with a fluttering of her eyelashes, and smiled at the others, who had relaxed visibly.

All but Colin.

"This isn't a game, Rory. I'm serious this time."

Rory's smile slipped off her face. Her blue eyes bugged out, and she stared at her plate, prepared to analyze this as she analyzed everything. She loved Colin-or at least she thought she did. Otherwise she'd have broken it off a long time ago, right?

Throughout the rest of sophomore year, all junior, and her senior year at Yale, she'd been invited to LDB events, parties from socialites, and sat through practical jokes. During her third year at Yale, she came to the realization that she was being invited into their world, and, more importantly, that Logan's stooges had grown on her. They were _friends_. When she and Colin had started dating, she had finally accepted the fact that Logan was no where near ready to commit to any long-lasting relationships save the friendship he had with Finn and Colin.

_Things in your life are good, why change now? You've got a steady job as a rising journalist, good pay and great friends!_

**Because they could be better- the Cartwright family has connections, which could mean better pay as a journalist at a better paper. Besides, Colin is great. Handsome, smart, sweet, fun, sensible, kind to animals….**

_But what if they get worse? What if you find out you don't really love him, and have to get a divorce? Marriage is a big step, you're pretty young-_

**A responsible adult!**

_And if you divorce, with those connections he could reduce your career to nothing! It's better for things to stay as they are…_

**Change is inevitable.**

_But sometimes it's best delayed!_

**Marrying Colin is the right thing to do.**

_Don't do it! Trust me!_

**Trust me!**

_You shut up! I'm the sensible one._

**Afraid of your own shadow is more like it.**

The voices inside Rory Gilmore's head came at her mercilessly, listing all pros and cons of becoming Mrs. Colin Cartwright and giving her quite a headache in the process. She rubbed her temples and nearly shouted out loud for the two inside her head to shut up. Finally, she looked back up at the table.

Paris had dropped her cell phone in her salad, and didn't have any intention on picking it up at the moment. Lane was furiously gesturing to the ladies room, ever confident in the sacred girl talk. Finn was…well, she had no idea what he was doing but it involved pie, a paper airplane and a piece of plastic. Colin was patiently waiting for her to finish her overanalyzing and give up her answer.

"Well, Gilmore, are you going to answer, or are you going to sit with your mouth open all night? Because if you are, I'm going home, I've already postponed my craft time four hours tonight, and don't plan on missing it because you're too indecisive."

"Way to be sensitive, Paris. You're such a great friend." Lane muttered.

"I'm not taking any bull. Not all of us are thrilled to be here to witness this disgustingly sweet and not to mention painfully long event in Gilmore's life." Paris said rolling her eyes. "Answer already!" She barked.

As she barked, Rory jumped. Her eyes returned to their normal state, and she let out a small squeal, and plopped herself into Colin's lap. Quickly placing a sloppy kiss on his lips, Rory finally answered.

"Of course I will!" As if she hadn't had any doubts in the fifteen full minutes she'd been sitting and staring at her plate. The worst part was that everyone had noticed- everyone knew she hadn't been absolutely sure those fifteen minutes. For some reason, that unnerved her. Colin interrupted her thoughts, slipping a ring onto her left ring-finger, which she paused to inspect.

"Good, that's settled. Now, if you please I'd like to divvy up the check before Gilmore and Loverboy start swapping any more spit."

At least some things would never change.

88888888888888888888888888 _Back to the present... _88888888888888888888888

And so she had stood up on shaking legs, and let herself be lead by Colin's hand on the small of her back to the car, and helped into the vehicle by Lane, who decided she'd better drive back to Stars Hallow. Rory had previously promised to take Lane home after her long-time best friend spent the weekend at Rory's apartment in Hartford.

At least she could tell her mom about the engagement. _Engagement._ Rory Gilmore wasn't going to be a Gilmore Girl anymore. She doubted if Colin would be up for take-out every night or into long morning drives to Luke's. He would probably rather live in Hartford in a house like her grandparents', or an upscale apartment in New York.

She smiled then. She thought instead of how adorable he looked with his glasses on after falling asleep reading a book, and of how he liked to surprise her at work with flowers. Okay, so she'd like coffee a bit more, but the thought put behind it left a warmth inside. Rory was confident she was making the right decision now.

Rory had pondered the drive away. The brunette had hardly noticed they'd pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, let alone reached Stars Hallow. Lane drove steadily through the town. Rory could tell she was just itching to talk about what had happened.

"Look, the lights at Luke's are on, maybe your mom's there." Lane finally commented.

"Pull over." Rory stated. Now was as good a time as any, she thought to herself. It was highly likely her mother was there, it was a perfect time for coffee, and Lorelai had constant access- being the proprietor's wife had its perks.

"You can take the car, I'll come by the apartment tomorrow and get it- if my mom or Luke is here, they'll take me home."

Lane nodded, and drove out of site. Rory stepped out of the car, no longer shaky, but with a little smile on her face and pushed the glass door open, her presence announced with a 'ding' from the bells overhead.

"Offspring!" The voice was chipper, and the woman it belonged to was practically bouncing up and down on her stool. Lorelai had to have had at least eight or nine cups of coffee already. "Why if it isn't our fav-or-ite college-learned young-in, paw! Ya'll didn't tell your folks you'd be a'comin' down to our humble neck o' the woods! Why, we'd have brought out finer china."

"Well, maw, this just one o' the spur o' the moment things we college-learned folks like ter do." Rory said, taking a seat in the stool next to the one her mother occupied.

"Paw! Paw! Git yerself out here quick, I bet ya'll our girl here's got a million stories ter tell us 'bout big city life." Lorelai called out towards the kitchen. "And bring more coffee too!" She added.

Luke appeared out of the back clad in the usual flannel with two slices of pie and a pot of coffee. "Ah, the elixir of life!" Rory muttered, taking a sip of her coffee gratefully.

"Yar! Hand over yer booty, for I am the great Pirate Lorelai!" She said, grabbing at the pie.

"I thought we were being country folks." Luke replied gruffly.

"Ar, matey! Me thinks we should get rid of the dead weight, Peg-legged Luke can't keep up, make him walk the plank!" Rory said in her best pirate voice.

"Never! I shall keep the dead weight onboard the S.S. Beaut-E-Queen as my love slave!" Lorelai replied, waving her arms around wildly.

"Yar! We've got a dire situation below deck, and me thinks yah might lose yer head, so I just wanted to give you a fair warning before I walk me own plank-"

Rory had been ready to tell her of her engagement, when she was interrupted by the cheerful tone of her cell's ringer. She held up her finger to pause the antics and flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Rory dear!"

"Hey grandma, how are you?" Rory asked, wondering why her grandmother was calling so late.

"Oh, just wonderful dear, and I'd ask how you are, but I already know the answer!" Emily Gilmore replied, her voice full of excitement. "I've just heard your bit of news from Joan Timmons. Her step-son's wife's second cousin was at the restaurant you were dining in and over heard the whole thing! Now, I just wanted to let you know that I'm already cooking up an engagement party, and have hired a wedding planner on your behalf. The party is tomorrow- I realize its short notice, dear, but you want to have plenty of time to plan, and the party will be out of the way."

"Oh, grandma, I don-"

"Carina, I told you not on the cupboard, in the dresser drawer, honestly girl! Oh, I'm sorry for interrupting, but I must dash, it's this new maid, she never puts anything in the right place. Be at our house at five sharp- goodbye, Rory!"

She had been hung-up on by her grandmother, who knew about her getting married before she could even tell her own mother. And just about to tell her mother she was engaged in a pirate's voice. Suddenly, Rory's life seemed less than exciting. She needed a change, something to breathe life back into her world.

"Ar! Emily the Blue-Blooded! Man the decks and fire the cannons!"

Rory took a resigned sigh and chewed on her lip. She squirmed uncomfortably, ignoring her mothers chatter and Luke's muttering. Finally, it seemed, Lorelai had noticed that Rory was less than thrilled about Kirk's newest stunt and Taylor's near stalking Miss Patty trying to find the source of this week's latest town gossip.

"What's wrong, kid?"

"Nothing's wrong…Actually, everything's great..." Rory began. She took a deep breath and silently wished she had as much courage as her mother did. "Colin and I are getting married!" She uttered with all the enthusiasm she could muster.

"Congratulations, sweetie!" Lorelai squealed, and hugged her daughter tightly.

"Which one is Colin again?" Luke asked while washing their mugs out.

"The one from Yale, the one you _liked_."

"Oh, that one. Congratulations, Rory." Luke said offering her a rare smile and pat on the back.

"Thanks mom, Luke. Now we just have to figure out how to convince grandma that tomorrow's too soon to throw the engagement party." Rory muttered.

"She didn't!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Mom's just going to parade you two around in front of all of high society. Don't worry kid; we'll do all we can."

"And if we can't get me out of it?"

"Then at least you can see some of your Yale friends."

Her Yale friends. The crowd might include Stephanie, and some other members of the LDB, maybe Doyle or other members of the newspaper staff. Perhaps it might not be that bad…Wait. Yale, LDB, and the newspaper. A person that fit all three was one Logan Huntzberger. Just the thought of him sent an irritatingly pleasurable shiver up and down her spine.

"Let's hope we can." Rory muttered, laying her head against the counter with a soft thump.

**A/N: **By no means did I mean to get this chapter this long. Usually I have trouble getting past page four or five, let alone to page EIGHT! Wow. Not much mention of Logan here, but you'll see him soon enough. Until then, make my day and send me a review, to let me know how I'm doing, what I can do to make it better, etc. Thanks!


	2. A Rory Sandwich

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

**A/N: **Here's the second chapter…Again, I apologize for any and all OOC-ness. I'm on an update-spree, seeing as the east coast has been assaulted by snow- my area, anyway- and early dismissals/school closings. Let me know what you think, if I should continue, etc. by reviewing…I'm not sure how much I'm liking the way this story's going so far…

**Chapter Two: A Rory Sandwich**

It was one of _those _days. The kind of day where you just know you should call in sick, and stay wrapped up in your blankets, hiding out from the world in a safe little haven somewhere. The ones where you lie in bed for hours after the sun came up, in a half-sleep, just wishing you didn't have to get out of bed and face your impending doom, but you know you have to.

For Rory Gilmore, that impending doom had a name, and it was Emily. She wasn't looking forward to this party at all. In fact, she all but dreaded it. Thus, the excessive amount of time spend laying in bed. It was just about ten a.m. before Rory showed any signs of moving to get up, and when she finally did it was only because a skinny, pale, but familiar figure stood over her bed, tapping her insistently on the shoulder.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"Mmpf. Go awaaay, Mom."

**_Tap, tap, tap._**

When the tapping didn't stop, and only increased in fervor, Rory peeled the covers off. She turned around in a swift, annoyed motion and barked at her mother. "If you think I'm even leaving this bed without at least one cup of coffee then you're…you're…Kirk?"

"I took the liberty of letting myself in, I figured we should start early so there'd be plenty of time for the _Stars Hollow Gazette_ to get it to the printers." Kirk said, taking out a pad and a pencil.

"Start what? Get what to the printers? Kirk, get out of my room!" Rory said all of this in a rush, rubbing at her eyes tiredly.

"The interview for the paper, and for the record books, of course. You're the town favorite, everyone wants to know about your engagement, they reserved the front page for you, you know. Now, before we get down to the real stuff, Lulu- who is my wife- wanted me to ask you if you needed any size six bridesmaids, because we're free all of Apri-"

"Kirk! _Out, **now**_!" Rory yelled, pointing to the door.

"But what about the intervie-" He took another glance at Rory's angered face and stumbled out of the house, calling back over his shoulder: "I'll be back, and Lulu's offer still stands!"

Rory rubbed her temples and let herself fall back down against the pillows. She'd only been engaged to Colin for one day- not even, more like half a day- and it was already turning into chaos.

Seeing as she was up anyway, Rory rolled out of bed, slipping a fluffy blue robe over top of her nightclothes. As soon as she reached the doorway of her bedroom, the sent of coffee and pancakes drifted into her nose, making her stomach grumble and mouth water.

In the kitchen, she found a sight she'd never expected to see before: her mother stood over the stove, prodding perfectly browned pancakes with a spatula.

"Is the sky falling? Has Armageddon come upon us? Are you actually cooking something that _doesn't_ involve the microwave?"

Lorelai looked up, blinking at Rory's sudden appearance and smiled. "No, don't worry, Chicken Little, we've still got a few more years 'til the sins of the corporate world kick in and global warming kills us off. Luke! I see bubbles!"

Luke walked in from the living room and snatched the spatula out of Lorelai's hand, flipping the pancake over quickly. "Now why would I wanna learn to cook when I've got a man who can do _that_ for me!" Lorelai exclaimed, pointing at the near perfect plate of pancakes and full pot of coffee sitting on the kitchen table. "And of course…That's not all he can do…" She said with a wink and wriggling of her eyebrows.

"Dirty…" Rory mumbled, making a face and helping herself to a large cup of coffee and some breakfast. "Okay, how about this, we eliminate sexual references to you and Luke from conversations at the table. Or rather, from any conversations with me- the daughter- around at all."

"Aw…You're no fun. When did my daughter lose her sense of humor? Can this child of mine, fruit of my loins, actually be a closet nag!" Lorelai cried, sitting down next to Luke.

"Yes. You caught me. Now that I'm out, I'm going to badger you about acting your age."

"Mean."

"Well, I have a right to be. Can you tell me why neither of you thought it important to let me know that Kirk- you remember him, right? scrawny, bizarre, likes to barge into places he's not welcome- was coming to 'interview' me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, how 'bout you, Luke?" Lorelai said, looking at the ceiling innocently, the corners of her mouth turned up in a half-smile.

"Don't drag me into this, Lorelai, you're the one who let him in!"

"But you told him where Rory's room was…"

Rory shot an incredulous look in Luke's direction. "Luke, how could you!"

"He sat down and started asking about going on a fishing trip together, what the hell was I supposed to do?"

"Um…Did you try saying 'no'?" Lorelai asked.

"Whatever." Rory snapped, dropping her now empty plate into the sink. "I'll let it slide, but only because you're both coming to the party tonight."

"Now hold on a minute…"

Rory smirked and disappeared into her room quickly, excusing herself to get dressed so she could go talk to Lane about something, slamming the door before she could listen to Luke's protests.

"You brought this on yourself, you know." Lorelai said in response to her husband's sulking face. "All those years trying to serve me decaf. It's karma, and it just came back to bite you in your cute ass."

* * *

Rory walked the distance from the house to the diner, since Lane still had her car. She'd dressed in a pair of jeans, a red sweater and her pea coat to block out the brisk winter air. She stuck her left hand in her pocket, hoping to draw no more attention than she already had. Finally coming up to the diner, she motioned to Lane, who was inside waitressing while Caesar minded the chef work in Luke's absence.

"Psst, Lane!" Rory hissed, ducking her head in the glass door quickly.

"Rory! You want some coffee?" Lane called back with a smile.

"Shhh! Is Kirk in there?"

"No, why?" Relieved, Rory entered fully and sat down at the counter on her usual stool as Lane poured a cup for her.

"Because, apparently, I'm the next cover-feature for the _Stars Hollow Gazette_ and three guesses who's doing the interview."

"Oh, no. This is my fault!"

"Why, did you tell Kirk?"

"Um…Not exactly. I was kinda talking to Zach about last night, outside Doose's, and um…well, one of the dancers at Miss Patty's apparently got a little sick- did too many sashays- so she was there picking up some Mr. Clean, and overheard."

"Wait, the dancer, or Miss Patty?" Rory already knew the answer, but thought that if she just asked, fate might smile on her and give her a break.

"Miss Patty."

"Of course. That would explain it. So, how long do you think before the whole town knows?"

"You'd have about…Half an hour after the encounter. Which according to my watch…" Lane stopped and held up her wrist. "Happened an hour ago."

Rory winced slightly, sipped on her coffee. She gave a heavy sigh. "Oh well. They'd have noticed sometime anyway, right?"

"I'd say by the third kid, someone might get a little suspicious, yeah."

"So, run Kirk interference, will you? I don't have time for an interview."

"Duly noted. Miss Gilmore is signing no autographs today, and has no comment in reference to the rumors concerning her marital status." Lane said, mock saluting.

"Anyway, that's not why I came. I wanted to ask if you'd mind coming to Hartford with me? My grandma's throwing this engagement party, and I have no say in the guest list so far, so can you come?"

Lane held up a finger and rushed off to a disgruntled patron, who had been trying to get her attention for a while now. She called an order over her shoulder to Caesar before strolling back up to where Rory sat.

"Hm…Let's see…If there're drunken socialites, music, and a partridge in a pear tree, then I'm game."

"Check, check, I'm not sure about the partridge, but we've got a pear tree in the garden, so that's what, a half check?"

"Yeah, good enough. So where and when?"

"Look, I'll walk back home, you pick me up at my house with the car, and I'll give directions. It's at five sharp, you should probably wear something formal."

"Right-o." Lane said, moving to give the order to the still irritated customer.

Rory waved goodbye, and headed back home. She had just enough time to veg in front of the TV for a half hour before getting ready.

* * *

An hour later, Rory still wasn't fully dressed when the sound of her own horn echoed against the house. She winced. Trust Lane to be punctual on the one day Rory was running late. She had searched in vain for that second strappy black heal, but it seemed to be playing a round of hide-and-go-seek with her. Rory was losing.

"Damn!"

"Hey sweets, have you seen the match to this shoe? I've been looking all over…"

Her mother entered the room, holding out a shoe by it's heal. It was black and strappy. Lorelai smiled upon seeing the match in Rory's hand. Rory stood up from where she'd been looking underneath her bed.

"So, now we have to figure out who gets them both."

"We could do…pick-a-number, or a coin toss…Oooh! I'll wrestle ya for it! Wait a sec, who's shoes are these anyway?"

"Mine." Rory lied.

Lorelai took another look, and shook her curls. "No, they're mine!"

"But I'm running late!" Rory wined.

"So? I am too. But you're the guest of honor, so you're allowed to be late. Mom will have a cow if I'm not on time. Plus, if they're out of vodka _and _I get yelled at by Mom, I'm leaving you to fend for yourself."

Making a face at her mother's logic, and how accurate it was, she handed the shoe over and dashed inside her closet, searching for a new pair. She chose a pair of silver stilettos, which matched the fine vines and roses made of glitter on her black dress.

"Luke and I are leaving, we'll see you in Hartford!" Lorelai yelled as she left, slamming the door.

Another round of honking came from the driveway, and Rory sped up, her fingers fumbling with the buckles. She glanced in the mirror at her straight hair and her light make-up before grabbing her bag and rushing out the door.

"Sorry I took so long." Rory muttered, slamming the car door and buckling her seatbelt. She spouted directions, and they traveled the traffic-less road. The car was filled with laughter, much the opposite of how it had been the previous night, and of course the blaring of the radio was also present. It didn't seem long at all before they'd arrived at their destination.

As previously timed, it took thirty minutes. The house of stone was the same as always, looking ominous as ever. Her mother's jeep was being parked and pulled out of the driveway by a valet. At least they'd arrived close to on-time.

Pushing open the door Rory took one last breath before heading toward the entry. Lane came up behind her, still a little awed by the large house. "Do you think it's too late to tell them I'm sick, and simply can't leave the house?"

"We're past the point of no return. Time to face the music." Lane stated.

"More like face the wolves."

Rory pulled open the door, and went into the house. As per usual, the Gilmore house was bustling on the night of a party. Caterers and members of staff rushed around, carrying trays of food and offering flutes of champagne to the many guests. It was packed, even by her Grandparents' standards.

Music, soft and classy, rolled through the room, couples dancing in a designated area. Stuffy men discussed business, and the women gossiped in the corners, taking part in Lorelai's favorite dish of the evening- apple tarts. Speaking of her mother, she was there, in the foyer, already engaged in an argument with her mother. Luke stood uncomfortably next to them both, shuffling his feet.

"…completely disrespectful and rude."

"Mom, I'm ten minutes late! Ten, mom! You couldn't watch _half_ an episode of _CSI_ in ten minutes. You couldn't even finish off a jawbreaker in ten minutes- not the jumbo ones, anyway, and besides-"

"Oh, look, it's Rory!" Luke said loudly, postponing any further arguing. "And she brought her friend Lane, how are you girls, was there traffic?"

"We're fine."

"Yup. No traffic of any kind to report. Although we did see some interesting road kill about fifteen minutes into the drive." Rory said, trying not to laugh at the expression on Emily's face. It was something akin to what you look like after swallowing a particularly sour lemon.

Lorelai looked up and nodded vigorously. "I saw that too! Are you talking about the green, oozing one?"

Lane answered, and the two held a side-conversation about the amazing road kill. Rory interrupted with introductions before the two could get past the strange, yellow bubble protruding from it's side.

"Oh, sorry Grandma, this is my friend Lane, Lane, this is my Grandma, Emily."

"Rory didn't tell me she was bringing a friend along! Well, I'll have to go inform the chef there's one more to serve."

"And Luke and I are going to go…away. We'll see you at dinner. Remember: Watch your back, you never know when scheming socialite No. Two will pop out of the shadows and talk you into lunch at the club." With that piece of advice, Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand and tugged him toward the open bar, leaving Lane and Rory by themselves.

It was an agonizing twenty minutes into the party before Colin finally swooped in to rescue them from Thelma Wexler's recount of last weeks bridge game. He was dressed in a tux, as were most of the other male guests, but he stood out from the others to Rory, at least.

"Hey. When did you get here? I've been looking all over." Colin said, draping an arm around her waist and kissing her softly.

"We got here about twenty minutes ago."

"It feels like an hour, though." Lane added. "And we just _had_ to find out if Mrs. Meriwether got caught cheating at bridge."

"Ah, she's quite the conniving minx. Been cheating for years- at more then one thing, she's beaten my sorry ass at poker quite a few times. Anyway, if you're interested, we've got a sub-party going in the pool house."

"Do you even have to ask?" Rory said, smiling up at him. On their way to the room, they both explained the concept of a sub-party to Lane, who commented that she could have used one when she was growing up and going through many a Korean parties which desperately needed an intervention.

"Gilmore! What took you so long, I've been ambushed!" Paris' familiar voice exclaimed from her seat on the couch.

"By who?"

"The Three Stooges, that's who! They've trapped me here, Rory, and this one tried to feed me- you know what happened to the last guy to stick something in my mouth against my will."

"Finn…Do we need to break out the 'don't feed the neurotic woman' sign again? Take my advice…keep all limbs you want to remain attached to your body out of her mouth and away from her."

"Aw, but it's so much fun. I know that somewhere, buried under all that anger is a suppressed, sweet girl…If I can get that suppressed side out, I'll have competed my mission in life. And if that suppressed side happens to want me for my hot Aussie bod, I wouldn't object."

Paris snorted. "In your dreams."

"Don't I know it."

Rory laughed heartily, accepting a drink from Colin and settling on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. Colin sat next to her, in the seat recently vacated by Paris, who had gone to in search of "someone with a few more brain cells". The others in the sub-party milled around, chatting about much more interesting things than the happenings of last week's bridge game.

"Oh, everybody, this is Lane, Lane, everybody!" Rory called loudly. She didn't have much time for introductions. "Lane's a musician; Seth, you dated a singer once, right?" Satisfied that Lane had someone to talk to for the time being, Rory turned back to Colin. For a while, they were the only two seated on the couch, something they made use of by engaging in an entertaining game of tonsil hockey- not exactly her proudest moment, but she was beginning to see she'd have a lot of less then proud moments. Pausing after round two, Rory looked up, searching for any new arrivals.

She spotted Stephanie, who sauntered gracefully into the pool house, dragging someone behind her. "Hey! It's the happy couple." Steph flicked her long curly blond hair over her shoulders, and settled in an armchair. The person behind her came into full view, beginning the turning point of Rory's evening.

He looked, of course, as wonderfully delicious as ever, in his tux. Black brought out the color of his eyes. He stood tall in front of her, that same ever present twinkle of mischief in his eyes, a cocky smirk in place. His hair was artfully chaotic, and the same shade of blond it had been the last time she'd seen it.

"Hey Ace." Two words. Two. That's all it took, in that deep voice of his before she stopped breathing. Rory's body stiffened, and goose bumps ran the length of her bare arms. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. Of course, it had to, seeing as it had just soared up into her throat, stopping all speech capabilities.

"Finn, I warned you, _get your tentacles off my ass_ or I'll thrash you so bad, there won't be an 'Aussie bod' left to look at!"

Thank goodness for Paris' big mouth. It was the breath of reality she needed to bring her out of the clouds and back to earth. Rory took in a shuttering breath and did her best to smile in response. "Hey Logan." Two words from her, and was still standing, at least on the outside.

Who cared if he was standing on the inside, anyway? Certainly not her. Or, at least she didn't think she did… No. She most defiantly did not. She was the one who ended their pseudo-relationship, anyway, why would she be hung up on someone she'd dumped in the first place? How exactly was she supposed to act around him?

"…and then, I said to Mr. Gilmore, screw 'the bonds of marriage' I want you here and now."

"What!" Rory shrieked, looking at Stephanie in disbelief.

"Hey, back from your trip to the moon, spaceman?"

"I…what?"

"You looked a million miles away." Colin stated, looking at her strangely.

"Oh, I'm fine." Yes, just peachy. Logan had now taken the liberty of sitting himself down next to her on the couch, making for a rather uncomfortable situation. Rory was now wedged between the only two people at the sub-party to have seen her naked. Oh yes, what a nice combo. A Rory sandwich.

"Um, do we have anything stronger than this champagne out here?"

**A/N: **Loved it, hated it, comments, complaints, etc.? I'd be much obliged to any and all reviewers! Oh, I'm a review junkie, just to let ya know, I need my fix! ;-)

**Special thanks to my reviewers: blueyed18, Me124, lynn, Julesanna, smile1, ceciliah, and rorgan fan. You guys rock!**


	3. Close Encounters of the Huntzberger Kind

**Disclaimer: I'd hardly call myself witty enough to be the creator, writer, etc. of such a fine show as GG. Which completely sucks, but I've accepted it.**

**A/N: **It's such a burden, writing a story which holds the love of all you reviewers. –Sigh- Haha, just kidding. I lurrrrve it. Anyway, I've updated my other story, so I'm feeling particularly witty today, and that means…Drum roll! Update for you :-D.

**WARNING: All spoiler virgins who want to remain totally 'pure' run fast, and don't come back until after the twenty sixth of April. All spoiler whores, junkies, and/or addicts are welcome to grab some coffee and pull up a chair for some spoiler-esque reading.**

**Chapter Three: Close Encounters of the Huntzberger Kind**

They had, in fact, held a plethora of alcohol choices out in the pool house, smuggled by the many youths in the room. Rory had decided on a few shots of tequila, which had sufficed for the time being. The threat of being squashed on a couch with her ex and her future husband didn't seem as bad as it had just minutes ago.

"You know, I love you guys, really I do. You've been there, taken me there, and gotten me outta there." Rory stated, doing another shot.

"Where exactly is _there_, Ace?" Logan asked from her right, his usual smirk in place.

"Oh, you know, there! The place, with the stuff, and all the _things_…"

"Rory, this is hardly the place to talk about that…"

"Oh, shut up Colin, and stop being an ass." Stephanie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I can't…its part of my charm." He said, cuffing her chin.

"Well, I could do without your charm about now, I was in the middle of a very serious, heavy drunk confession!" Rory announced from her place next to him.

"Most people would be glad to be interrupted during something possibly embarrassing like that, but no, not you Ace. Still full of surprises, I guess."

"Yes. How very Lorelai-like of me."

"You never can guess what'll happen around you two." Stephanie said.

"Oh, that's true," Colin agreed, "The two of them should be studied."

"Or at least have our own TV show!" Rory added, nodding.

"You could call it Lorelai Squared."

Finn shook his head and took a sip of his drink. "No, that doesn't fit right…It would have to be called Gilmore-"

Before Finn could finish his observations, the sub-party was crashed. A stuffy blond woman stood in the doorway, reeking of disapproval. Oh lovely. She needed more tequila before dealing with this.

"Hello Colin, Rory." Shira Huntzberger said in a polite tone, clutching her lily white purse.

"Shira, you look well." Colin said nodding to her.

"Hello Mrs. Huntzberger." Rory muttered, doing her best to keep an even tone. It was no secret among the socialites in the room that Rory and Shira had a certain animosity for each other, the reasons, however, were slightly less known.

"What are you doing back here, Mom, you know you don't enjoy this type of thing."

"I simply came to wish Colin congratulations and give Rory my best wishes, which is what I assumed you were all here to do as well."

"Well thanks, Shira. We're both glad you could come, aren't we Rory?"

"Yes. Thrilled." She was grinding her teeth now, and her fingernails had started to dig into her palms painfully. How was it possible that she had the nerve to be standing there, pretending to offer her best wishes and kind words and yet be so insufferable on the inside, probably plotting Rory's downfall where she stood?

"I'm sure the two of you will be very happy. You'll both be traveling a lot for work, won't you? What with your family's publishing locations all over, Colin, you'll need to be traveling quite a bit to check out prospective authors and such. Convenient!"

"Convenience isn't all relationships should be based on, Shira." Rory said airily. "You know, there is the small matter of feelings, and romance, and dare I say… love."

Shira's politeness remained, but her voice came out coldly. "You and I must agree to disagree on this subject, Rory. Sometimes those things aren't enough- we can't have all we want, you know."

"Well, I'd say the temperature in the room just dropped a few degrees, wouldn't you?" Finn observed, whispering to Stephanie.

"Well who's to say we couldn't if some people would just shut their big mouths and get the hell out of the way!" Rory snapped back. She'd lost it now. Her control just flew out the windows of the pool house and was drifting somewhere on the winds. Perhaps it might come back in time to save her.

"No, Finn, I'd say the temperature just went up a few notches." Stephanie whispered back. "I think we're finally going to get some juicy details as to why the distain exists between them!"

Shira herself let the controlled stance go. She couldn't have a cigarette right now, and she couldn't take anymore. "Now you listen to me, young lady, and learn when to shut your own mouth. I don't know why you're still upset over what was said at a silly dinner party four years ago, but you'd do well to let it go."

"Let it go? You and Elias practically came out and said I wasn't good enough to be dating Logan because I was goal-oriented. If it weren't for Mitchum and Honor's support, I very well may have run away from the house and the relationship screaming! Oh, wait, I did." Nope. Control had gone fishing, apparently, and unless someone duck taped her mouth shut, she wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

"Rory, this is hardly the time or place to give everyone around here a history lesson." Logan said, finally standing up and breaking into the fight. He'd been watching it from the couch like a tennis match, or a car crash- you know it's going to end badly, terribly, but you just can't look away- in a daze. Shira pursed her lips and nodded robotically before stiffly exiting the pool house, digging through her bag for a cigarette.

Rory felt a wave of gratitude toward Logan wash over her. Maybe he'd changed. He certainly seemed to care, what with the concerned looks he was giving her throughout the evening. For a moment when she'd picked up her first drink Rory had thought Logan was going to protest.

Shaking herself back to reality, Rory forced her thoughts away from Logan. After Shira had gone, Rory spoke up. "Right. I'm going to leave before I cause anymore damage." Or give into control's replacement, rage. Rage wanted her to sock Shira Huntzberger in the nose and spill wine all over her anally clean white wardrobe.

"Gilmore, you can't drive angry, you'll wind up on the side of the road, and I'll have to go to a funeral, and I'll probably cry and mourn, then my schedule will be ruined for the next few months." Paris observed from her seat on a chair. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet until now, leafing through her grandfather's golfing magazines.

"Well how did you get here?" Colin asked, concerned.

"Lane drove my car." Rory scoured the pool house. She hadn't seen Lane since she'd introduced her to Seth. There they were in the corner, seated on the floor chatting about who knows what. Lane was nursing a nearly empty drink, other bottles sat on the floor near her. She seemed a bit more giddy than usual, indicating she wasn't in a state to drive either. "Lane, come here, I think I'm ready to leave." Lane made her way over, saying her goodbyes to Seth regrettably.

"Interesting party, Rory, I'm glad I came."

"Meaning you got a date with Seth."

"Yes! He's taking me out next Saturday." Lane nearly squealed.

"That's great! But now we need to concentrate on getting home somehow..."

"Looks like we'll need to bring out the big guns. You can borrow Frank." Logan stated. "I'll even let you feed him if you want."

"No, I can't…I'll just ask Mom and Luke-"

"Just take my car; Frank would love to see you again…"

Colin nodded. "Besides, I think I saw Lorelai make an escape through a window over there. She even got Luke to shimmy down the wall."

"Luke never shimmies!"

"Which means it was a desperate situation, one so desperate she'd know her only daughter would understand if she left early."

"But what about you?" Rory protested. "How will you get home?"

"My parents are here, I'll hitch a ride."

Seeing no other logical way she could get home, and no other excuse to use, she agreed. "Fine. I'll take it, but I can't promise I'll feed Frank this time!"

"Alright, no promises then."

Rory said goodbye to Colin, pecking him softly on the lips before following Logan.

"The car's this way." Logan led Rory and Lane out to the car and into the cold night air, opening the door so they could get in.

"Thanks, Logan."

"No problem, Ace, anything for a friend." He muttered, leaning against the car door.

"Right. Anything for a friend." She said back slowly. After a beat, he shut the door and stepped away from the car. Frank turned around in his seat at the wheel and smiled.

"Miss Gilmore, nice to see you again! How are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you?"

"Can't complain, can't complain. Same house, Miss Gilmore?"

"Yes, Frank, and please hurry." Rory murmured, leaning back into her seat and shutting her eyes.

"Of course Miss Gilmore.

* * *

By the next morning, Rory's head was pounding a bit. Tequila and catfights were not to be mixed. Sitting up very slowly, as to not encourage any more pounding of the head, she wrapped her blankets around her like a cape, and crept into the kitchen.

Steaming coffee sat on the kitchen counter, in a mug with her name on it. Well, technically, it could have been her mother's mug of coffee, but it was finders keepers when it came to the stuff of life in the Gilmore-Danes house, and in this case she'd found the Holy Grail and wasn't sharing anytime soon.

Picking through the fridge's contents, she found some yogurt and grabbed a spoon before settling down at the table. Rory sighed. She just had to drink that tequila, didn't she? She could have moved from her Rory sandwich stance, which was the cause of the need for alcohol in the first place, but no. She had to put up a front for everyone, that she was as okay with dating an ex's friend as Colin and Logan seemed to be.

"Is that yogurt?" A groggy voice asked.

"Yes, you caught me Mom, I'm eating healthy."

"No, say it isn't so! My evil husband has corrupted you and turned you into a health nut! Please tell me it's at least got some sprinkles or some crushed cookies on top!"

"Nope, it has fruit, and its fat free."

"The only place fruit belongs is in pie, or other sugary pastries and assorted desserts."

"I know, I know, but I was desperate for food and Luke left for work already." Rory complained.

"Oh honey, I should have taught you better. Where did I go wrong?" Lorelai said dramatically. "I'll just grab some pop tarts and we'll be golden." She said standing up and putting some into the toaster.

"So I hear Luke shimmied last night."

"Oh yeah, it was great. I gave him a demonstration, so he could do it right, and just happened to be at the bottom to watch his own attempt." Lorelai said waggling her eyebrows.

"Just yesterday we had this conversation. Too much information, Mom! If you keep doing this to me, I'll end up in therapy and send you the bills."

"Fine, fine, fine." She muttered, placing a plate of pop tarts on the table. "So how did your evening go?"

"Well…It was fine until Logan dropped in."

"Oooh, Close Encounters of the Huntzberger Kind."

"Yes. And he sat right next to me, and on the other side was Colin, his friend, my current fiancé."

"Now we're getting closer to Days of Our Lives material."

"It gets better. Shira entered, and despite your own adventures in tequila-land I'd had a few drinks. Bye bye all sense of better judgment."

"Tell mommy what you said to the mean lady…" Rory recounted her experience, blushing at what had come from her own mouth. She couldn't believe she'd said all that in front of her friends.

"Oh sweets…You got yourself into a messy situation, and had a messy outcome. It'll get better, I'm sure. You control the guest list to the wedding; shun her by not inviting her."

"Yes, I'll turn her into a social outcast."

"An exiled loner!"

"A hermit!" Rory agreed.

"Well, before you don't send her an invitation, it might be good to start a little planning."

* * *

And plan she did. Rory was seated in the living room, a neat list a few pages long of ideas and pro/con lists. She was just about to make a new one about buying a dress versus making a dress when her cell phone rang, puppy barks erupting from it.

"My time is valuable; if this call wastes any of it I'll come after you with a pitchfork."

"Well hello to you too, Ror."

"Colin! Hey, I was just working on some wedding stuff. We've really got a lot of planning to do, according to Bridal magazine-" Rory's ramblings were cut short.

"Yeah…About that, I've got some news." His tone gave her the impression she wasn't going to like the news.

"News? I'm a fan of news. I report it, after all. Unless its bad news, because I hate bad news, everyone hates bad news. Colin, tell me this isn't bad news!"

"I-I'm not sure. I have to go away for a while, Rory. My dad says if I'm going to take off for the honeymoon and the wedding, I'll need to close a deal for him."

"Is that all? Well I don't know why you were making such a big deal of it; you're such a drama king Colin." Rory joked. "We'll have to get you a crown to go with the top hat."

"Rory…The deal's in London, and it might take a while."

"Oh. Um…How long is a while?"

"A few months. Most likely up until the wedding itself."

"Colin!"

"I know, I know, I know! It sucks. But I can't get out of it, not unless you want me to work our entire honeymoon." She was silent for a moment, he was right. She didn't want him working, and really, how could she plan this whole wedding by herself?

"Look, you're probably not that happy with me right now, but hear me out! I've got a solution. You'll need to be open though…"

"Okay."

"No, I mean very open. Wide open."

"I'm open, I'm wide open! No one has ever been as open as I am right now."

"Okay. We get a replacement."

"A replacement?"

"Yeah, someone who I trust, who you trust, who knows what I'd want willing to stand in and go try samples of wedding cake or hire a limo driver with you."

To be truthful, it wasn't a bad idea. Rory should have known he'd think of something brilliant. "Okay…Have you got someone in mind?"

"Yes. Actually, I was kind of thinking that Logan should do it."

**A/N: Finally finished! Gosh, that took me forever. I hope the party scene didn't disappoint you all! Anyway, I'm going to bed, as its three thirty. Excuse my errors, I'm tired :-P.**

**Reviewers: Special thanks to you all, but as above mentioned, it's after three. I can't mention you all, but I'll see if I can't mention you all in the next chapter. All that said, I'm forever grateful to you all!**


	4. Grade A Okay

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, and any OC's you don't recognize.**

**A/N: **-blows dust off fic- _Wow_! Can we say H-I-A-T-U-S? And not just from the folks at GG, but more importantly (yeah, right :P) from moi! This fic has been gathering dust so long that it's become AU! Well, anyways, based off the first few chapters you can probably tell where it turns AU- after But I'm a Gilmore!** And from there we assume that the fight at the Huntzburger dinner caused Rory to decide she couldn't handle being Logan's girlfriend anymore than his casual gal. So the stuff with Mitchum didn't happen, there is no Lane/Zach (but I might change that, I kinda like them together), no April (let me know if you want me to add her or not, I know there is plenty of anti-April sentiment right now) and saddest of all, no Paul Anka. Ah well, I can always add him later…**

Now, onward Knights of the Diner Table!

_A brief recap…_

"_Okay. We get a replacement."_

"_A replacement?"_

"_Yeah, someone who I trust, who you trust, who knows what I'd want willing to stand in and go try samples of wedding cake or hire a limo driver with you."_

_To be truthful, it wasn't a bad idea. Rory should have known he'd think of something brilliant. "Okay…Have you got someone in mind?"_

"_Yes. Actually, I was kind of thinking that Logan should do it."_

**Chapter Four: Grade-A Okay**

Rory sat up, holding her phone against her ear. She took a moment to breathe and griped the arm of the couch tightly. Then, after carefully choosing her calm, rational words spoke into the cell phone at a calm, rational volume.

"_What? _Am I going deaf or are you going crazy? Because I think I just heard you say Logan's name. Tell me I'm going deaf, Colin, please, because out of the three options we've got here- you suggesting Logan seriously, me losing the ability to hear, and my groom in need of psychiatric help, I'm rooting for number two."

"Rory…"

"Uh, no go on the hearing impairment for me. I just heard my name, so I guess that means you're losing your mind." She stood up, starting to pace and tug at the long sleeves of her nightshirt. "Well, this sucks. So close to the wedding, but I'd be willing to wait for you! Yes, I'll stay true until they release my poor, delusional Colin from the loony bin. Or we could get a hospital wedding- like a prison wedding? Do they do that? Tell you what, give me a minute and I'll check search results at yahoo-"

"Rory! Relax, breathe, close the search box on your computer… this is not that big of a deal. Logan's fine with the situation, I'm fine with the situation, and I thought that you were fine with it too, but I guess if you aren't okay, then we could get Finn or Robert to stand in."

Rory blanched. She was _totally_ over the awkwardness of this I-used-to-sleep-with-your-friend-now-I'm-with-you thing. There had to be another reason warning bells were going off in her head, though. She couldn't determine what exactly was causing her to be so against the idea at this very moment, but she was under stress- it was a biological thing, right? So after telling Colin how fine she was, she could just… Make something up. Then find the real reason when thinking time wasn't wasting minutes on her cell phone.

"Not okay? What do you mean I'm not okay? Of course I am! I'm peachy keen, one hundred percent grade-A."

"As okay as a dozen eggs?"

"Definitely. Grade-A eggs are as okay as eggs come, right?" She paused, stopped pacing and sighed. "I just think it wouldn't work very well. Logan and I… we probably have conflicting schedules, that's all. Besides, isn't it some sort of wedding superstition? I'm pretty sure having your former love interest help plan the wedding is a bit higher on the bad luck list than seeing the bride in the wedding dress before the wedding."

"Look, Rory, I really think that going with Logan would be the best idea here. Finn would be great fun as a stand in, but do you really think we can trust him not to hit on every female dress maker, every caterer, every redhead involved in the planning process? What if he starts on a naked phase? And we'll probably spend more on supplying him with regular doses of alcohol while planning than on the actual wedding."

"Alright, I agree that Finn is not a good choice. Now, list your reasons against Robert, because I'm sure you've got some, I feel like you anticipated this."

Colin chuckled a little. "Well what can I say? I was Madame Duvall in a former life, fortune teller, palm reader, interpreter of the future."

"Or maybe I'm just a little bit predictable sometimes."

"Or maybe I saw it in my crystal ball. Now, back to Robert- my list of why he would make a crappy stand in- he's an ass."

"So are you, but that's not stopping me from marrying you, is it?"

"Ah, but if one ass leaves and is replaced by another, he might steal my thunder and the bride to boot."

"So you think I'm marrying you because I just can't resist the arrogant, jerky type of guy?"

"No, I think you're marrying me because I asked. And Robert's enough of an ass as to try to steal you away. Probably thinks it'll even the score, I do owe him some cash from last week's poker game…"

"Just how much? I think I'd like to know my worth as compared to bets during a poker game…"

"Ah, I'll never tell. But to me you're worth much more."

"Aw, nice try, Col, but you know I'll keep asking."

"And I also know I've eliminated the other two options mentioned for stand-ins."

The grin that had managed its way onto Rory's face slipped off immediately. He was right; she could only take so much of Robert and is attitude at a time- Rory found two, maybe three days in a row. No way could she see him every day for a period of a few months. And Finn… It would be hard enough to arrange a wedding without planning it around on Finn's daytime sleep schedule.

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask, Ror."

"Alright, I've gotta go get some coffee to clear my head."

"I'll talk to you later, love you."

"Back at cha babe."

* * *

Coffee. Black, steaming hot, rich coffee. No fancy creamers, no grainy packets of sugar- just pure, unadulterated caffeine java goodness. It was Heaven in a cup, but with a large, meaty cheeseburger and a side of fries, it was the ultimate comfort food, better than any fine dining dish Grandma served on Friday nights.

Rory imagined the first sip, the sharp bite of flavor and heat, and fantasized about squirting her condiments on the lunch she was headed towards at Luke's Diner. First, a little ketchup for the fries, and some where the lettuce Luke added to her burger formerly was.

She was crossing the street towards nirvana and the mustard had just come into play when she was ambushed by a walking camera. Or a walking person with a camera in front of their face, who just so happened to jump in front of her ten feet from the glass doors.

"Miss Gilmore, when will this wedding take place? Are the rumors about your so-called '_delicate condition' _true? Do you plan on taking Lulu up on her bridesmaid offer?" A walking person with a camera in front of their face who sounded a lot like Kirk.

"Go away Kirk, you're separating me from my coffee." Rory said, shoving her hands into her coat pockets roughly and walking on. Kirk back-treaded in front of her, obviously not giving up.

"Please answer my questions for the _Stars Hollow Gazette_, Miss Gilmore, and I would be happy to consider-" Kirk broke off, nearly tripping over a disgruntled passer-by.

"Kirk, the _Stars Hollow Gazette _is a newspaper."

"Yes, I am aware of that. But I find if I give the illusion of being paparazzi, people are more willing to answer my questions. Or throw things at me and call me an intrusive idiot, but I've gotten used to that par-" He stopped mid-sentence as he moved; just barely missing the door of a nearby store that someone was opening.

Rory held back a laugh, and just picked up her pace. In order to stay in front of her and continue filming, Kirk began to walk faster too, only he was at a disadvantage because he was doing so backward. Rory could see the sweet freedom of the diner, its glass doors and checkered drapes. She could also see the three trashcans placed outside for pickup tonight, which, apparently, Kirk could not. He tripped and fell back into them with a yelp, causing shampoo bottles and old egg shells to spill out on the street.

Feeling a little guilty, Rory finally ducked inside her step-father's establishment. She waved at Luke where he stood behind the counter, and went to sit down where her mom was already eating.

"Whoa, did you see that? Kirk just did a back flip into this week's garbage bins!" Lorelai exclaimed, moving to the window. "And look! Taylor's lecturing him now."

"Probably writing him up for littering." Luke said, placing a cup of coffee in front of Rory before she even had to ask.

"Thanks Luke." She said, finally getting her java fix. "Can I get a burger and-" He came back carrying a full plate, and some pie to boot.

"You see why I married this man? I'm telling you, babe, you should have married the heir to the Folgers family coffee supply. Heaven on earth- men dressed in backwards baseball caps and flannel shirts who serve coffee all day."

"I'll pass on the flannel. Colin looks better in suits, but I'll seriously consider leaving him if I'm ever introduced Mr. Folgers personally."

The door of the diner opened just then, and a disheveled Kirk came in. An odor followed him, and a few customers made faces as he passed to get to the counter. He lugged a broken camera onto the surface in front of him, and brushed some egg shell off the black device.

"What died in here?" A woman asked, holding her nose.

"It smells like rotting road kill!" Her companion complained.

"Uh, Kirk, you've got a little something in your hair." Lorelai called from her table.

Kirk's hands immediately went to the top of his head, searching it for garbage. "Darn, I thought I got it all out. I think it was lettuce of some kind." He took his finger out of his hair and looked at the red goop covering it. "This is new." He continued to inspect it.

"I think it's ketchup." Lorelai said, leaning a bit to see better.

"Nah, the consistency is more like the strawberry shampoo Lulu uses at home. Though the smell is more like burnt hair."

Luke came back from the kitchen then, taking in the red goop which had dripped down Kirk's back to the floor of the diner and the horrible smell. "Ah, jeez, will watch where you're dripping, Kirk!"

"I can't help it!"

"You smell like you slept in a dumpster, go home and take a shower, use a lot of soap, rub sanitizer in your hair and come back later."

"But I can't! Lulu let me borrow her camera to follow Rory around with and I broke it, then she'll be mad at me, and won't talk to me, and if she doesn't talk to me, she defiantly won't let me use her tape recorder."

"Go home!"

"But-"

"I'll lend you my tape recorder, if it'll get you outta my diner before you infect the place with last week's leftovers." Luke said firmly, grabbing him by the shoulder and shoving him toward the exit.

Turning away from the scene, Lorelai looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow. "Why would Kirk be following you with a camera?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Kirk still wants his interview for the paper, and he decided to imitate paparazzi to get my answers."

"Well next time he comes around, sweets, call me instead of causing such a scene. We'll go Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz on his ass."

"Absolutely." There was a pause here, in which no crazy Stars Hollow regulars made an entrance, and there were no witty remarks about coffee made. Rory decided that she should tell her mom about the situation with Colin and his business trip soon, but thought the diner wasn't the place. Anyone could eavesdrop, and she hated having everyone in town knowing her business, especially when it involved things in her life she wasn't quite sorted through yet.

"Mom, I have some news."

"Ooh, wedding news? Give mommy the details! Have you picked the date?" Lorelai asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Well, yes, it is wedding news, but it's pretty serious stuff. The kind we need to _talk_ about."

"Good thing we're at the diner."

"But we don't talk here, we talk at Weston's."

"Are you sure? I recall some words being exchanged at this very table."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk here or at Weston's, this time. I think this is more kitchen table material."

Lorelai put on a shocked look and gathered her purse. "Well! That is serious. Then we'd better get going." They headed toward the door, but Lorelai faltered for a moment. "Just a sec. Luuuke! We're leaving. Come to me, love slave, and give Mistress Lorelai a kiss."

The diner owner appeared from behind the counter, holding a pot of coffee in one hand, and used the other to grip is wife's hip as he leaned in for a kiss. Lorelai smiled as he pulled away. "Ah, my coffee man. I'll see you at home."

"Looking forward to it." Luke replied, kissing her again before the two Lorelai's headed out the diner door.

When Rory and Lorelai reached the driveway, they were engaged in a debate about what to have for dinner. Rory was defiantly for just asking Luke for some hearty home cooking, but Lorelai complained that she hadn't had Chinese in quite a while. The argument, however, was halted as Rory spotted a familiar silver car in the driveway parked next to her mother's jeep.

"Oh, no." Damn Colin and his arrogance. Just like that, he assumes that she was going to agree to this, and calls Logan up. Hadn't she said that she'd _think_ about it? Rory didn't even get the chance to tell her mother what was going on.

"Isn't that Logan?" Lorelai questioned, looking at the porch where a blond man sat in expensive clothes, standing out against the plain white wooden steps of their house. Taking in her daughter's dismayed face, Lorelai raised an eyebrow. Well, she hoped that _this_ wasn't the wedding news Rory had for her. Lorelai would hate it if her daughter left Colin for Logan so suddenly.

"Hence the 'oh, no' Mom. I really wasn't expecting him. Colin is going to get his ass kicked." Rory groaned as they approached him.

"Hey Ace."

* * *

**A/N: Voila! Finally got the fourth chapter out, even if it is a little short compared to the previous three. I hope you enjoyed it, I know it didn't have too much to do with Logan yet, but relax, if I ever get around to updating again (cross your fingers, folks!) you'll be seeing plenty of him soon, especially since he'll be in the starting scene of next chapter. Also, I'm more of a dialogue writer, and I really like Kirk, so if you see a lot of dialogue and our favorite SH resident, don't be too shocked!**

**Onward to the review button, Knights of the Diner Table!**


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